AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 13, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 23, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

Introduced by Senator Dahle

(Coauthors: Senators Alvarado-Gil, Caballero, Choi, and Seyarto)

February 12, 2026

An act to add Section 44153 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to vehicular air pollution.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law generally designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency with the primary responsibility for the control of vehicular air pollution. Existing law requires the state board to develop and implement a Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program for nongasoline heavy-duty onroad motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds. Existing law requires that the program include, among other things, test procedures for different motor vehicle model years and emissions control technologies that measure the effectiveness of the control of emissions of oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter. Existing law requires, as part of the program, the state board to develop a Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Compliance Certificate. Existing law requires the state board to issue the certificate to the legal owner, registered owner, or designee of a vehicle that, at the discretion of the state board, meets the requirements of the program so that vehicle owners and operators may easily demonstrate proof of compliance for specified purposes.

This bill would limit specified testing of all nongasoline heavy-duty onroad motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds that are considered low use, as defined defined, that have an engine that is from the 2012 model year or older, and that are registered in this state, to not more frequently than annually. The bill would require the state board to adopt rules and regulations to implement this provision.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 44153 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

44153.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, testing conducted pursuant to Section 44152 shall be required not more frequently than annually for all nongasoline heavy-duty onroad motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds that are considered low use. meet all of the following criteria:

(b) The state board shall adopt rules and regulations to implement this section.

(c) For the purposes of this section, “low use” means a vehicle determined through a process developed by the state board to be driven fewer than 1,000 miles per calendar year in California.